Jeep Grand Cherokee - Project Ain't It Grander

On hot days, our Grand's cooling is close to marginal, so to help it out we cut some holes in the hood and installed some Gen-Right louvers. Yes, they helped by letting that much more hot air out. We had to make a cut-out pattern that fit between the hood-stiffening braces on the underside and then transfer it to the top of the hood. We were then able to mark the outline with tape and cut the hole with a saber saw. The supplied colored pop rivets hold it in place.

We're still playing with shocks, alternating between some larger-bodied Rancho 9000s and some Bilstein 5100s. We will let you know what we like best for our application in the future.

From some scrap aircraft Lexan we had laying around, we fabricated some mud flaps for the rear tires. Otherwise, with our 31/2 inches of backspacing on our 8-inch Mickeys, the tires hang out of the fenderwells just enough to interest local law enforcement.

Because of the frame stiffeners we used from T & T Customs, we had to ditch our rocker guards. Bob at T & T made us a set of trick heavy-duty ones that offered improved ground clearance and better body protection. However, the drawback was that they made one of our height-challenged drivers have a difficult time getting in. Plus, getting out made for a dirty pant leg. We solved the problem with a compromise design that we built ourselves, which also served as a step.

Our battery had been on its last legs, so it was time for a new one to replace the generic auto-parts-store brand we had been using. We went with an Odyssey PC1500. It's a dry-cell sealed battery that uses thin-plate pure lead technology. It works especially good in cold-weather climates, retaining 70 percent more starting power at -4 degrees than a wet cell battery. (This project lives in Montana where, as I type, the temperature is just above zero.) It's also a deep-cycle battery, meaning heavy discharges such as winching don't kill it.

To keep our carpets clean, we again went with the Catch All Mats. We used them in the original Ain't it Grand project, and they worked great at catching and holding all the snow, slush, cow manure, dirt, and trash we carry in on our boots. They clean up nicely with a garden hose. Our only complaint with them is that they don't stay in the exact same molded position that follows the floor contour. The first set lasted about five years, and we expect the same good service.

Almost forgot about the switches-yes, switches. The seat-heater switches we mounted in the shift quadrant on the center console, and the relay for them under the dash to the right of the steering column. For the ARB lockers, we found room on the dash for the two switches just left of the instrument cluster. We mounted the pushbutton for the rear electric locker on the front side of the center console.

Finished yet? No, not really, but it's a great driver like it is and maybe-no, for sure-next year we will have some more things to show you.